Recessed lighting systems are commonly used indoors to provide the effect of light shining through a hole in a ceiling or wall. Recessed lighting systems generally include a light fixture installed in a ceiling or wall recess. Depending on the desired illumination scheme, the light fixture is typically configured to provide either direct lighting or indirect lighting.
Direct lighting involves casting light primarily in one direction to illuminate an individual object (e.g., a painting, a table, a kitchen counter, etc.) or limited portion of a room, or even for general illumination purposes. A can light is one example of a recessed lighting system incorporating a direct lighting light fixture. Direct lighting tends to create glare and shadows and therefore is typically not used for illuminating a large area or an entire room.
Indirect lighting, on the other hand, provides more diffuse lighting and is suitable for illuminating large areas. Indirect lighting involves bouncing light off a reflective surface, thereby redirecting and/or scattering the light to various portions of a room. While indirect lighting reduces glare and provides generally uniform luminance levels, it can be uneconomical since at least some of the light is absorbed by the reflective surface. Moreover, because of its diffuse nature, indirect lighting is generally not suitable for spotlighting an individual object.
Various applications can benefit from including both direct and indirect lighting. For example, it can be useful to illuminate a kitchen surface where food is typically prepared, such as a kitchen counter, more brightly than other areas of the kitchen. Direct lighting can be used to spotlight the food preparation area(s), whereas indirect lighting can be used to illuminate the remainder of the kitchen. In the past, such an illumination scheme required the installation of separate direct and indirect lighting fixtures. This tends to be labor-intensive and require the formation of at least two recesses in an existing architectural structure to receive the distinct indirect and direct lighting fixtures.
The present disclosure sets forth various recessed lighting systems embodying advantageous alternatives to existing recessed lighting systems and that may address one or more of the challenges or needs mentioned above.